Pragmatics

In a nutshell

Pragmatics is the study of how language is influenced by the context in which it is used. Several aspects affect the meaning of words and sentences when they are used in a conversation or text. In this summary, you will learn what pragmatics is and the elements involved. 

Language in context

Pragmatics is the study of whole spoken utterances or written sentences in the context they appear. When a statement is written or spoken aloud, elements such as the motivation behind the words of the speaker, the situation and expectations play a role in what the message can mean. Therefore, the context of a sentence is relevant to fully understand or interpret its meaning; this is called pragmatics of conversation.

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Discourse analysis of a text

Discourse analysis is a regular text analysis but in its context. The type of text, the structural elements and who is receiving or producing the text are significant aspects of discourse analysis. When the speaker says something, normally something is implied beyond just the surface of the words. Thus, the person listening infers a meaning from the statement or question and responds accordingly. 

Example

Two friends are in the kitchen and one of them is cooking.

Speaker 1: That smells so amazing!

Speaker 2: It's Parmigiana, an Italian dish. Would you like to try it?

Speaker 1 implies positive interest in the food by making a compliment, so Speaker 2 infers that Speaker 1 would like to eat some and so offers Speaker 1 to try it. 

Pragmatic failure

When a person says something but the listener does not understand the implication of what the person said, then this is called pragmatic failure. In other words, a pragmatic failure occurs when the meaning implied is not the meaning understood by the listener. 

Example

A student is taking an English oral test.

Teacher: Ok, so before we start, can you spell your name, please?

Student: Yes, I can. 

In this example, the teacher is not asking the student whether he/she is actually able to spell his/her name, but is rather trying to imply that in order to start the test, the student has to spell his/her name.

Pragmatics

When participating in a conversation, you should always consider who is speaking, who is listening, what the setting is and what roles the participants have. The following example can help you understand how pragmatics works: